Abdul Khan used his working knowledge of the bank’s computer system to pull off the fraud, so he and his friend Mansoor Sanobar could live “extravagant lifestyles” way beyond what they could have afforded through their salaries.

The plundered cash went to Sanobar’s credit card and accounts belonging to the pair – with the largest sum more than £125,000.

Abdul Khan.

Police found more than £11,300 and over £2,000-worth of gold bullion in a bag at Khan’s home, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Michael Aspinall, prosecuting, said more than £14,000 had been transferred into foreign currency.

Now it has emerged that Khan spent some of the funds on hotel accommodation in Dubai in June 2106.

Read More

Receipts found by the authorities at his home showed he also bought five ten gram gold bars from a shop in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter the same month, at a total cost of more than £1,600.

During the same visit, he shelled out another £558 on three five gram gold bars.

Birmingham Live told on Thursday how Khan, 32, of Heather Avenue, Walsall, who had previously admitted fraud, was sentenced to three years and two months.

Mansoor Sanobar.

Sanobar, 33, of Lord Street, also Walsall, was jailed for two years and 11 months after pleading guilty to transferring and converting criminal property.

Both men joined the bank in 2010, with Khan employed as a senior collections associate, based in Calthorpe Road, and Sanobar an underwriter at an office in Edmund Street.

Mr Aspinall, prosecuting, said “We say, in particular, Khan used his knowledge of the HSBC computer system to steal about £221,000.”

Khan blew his cash in Dubai.

He said the bank had a system involving internal miscellaneous accounts which were used to provide refunds when there was a difficulty or some disagreement with a client’s account.

Over a two-and-a-half year period between 2014 and 2016, Khan siphoned off large sums from those accounts, making multiple transactions.

Mr Aspinall said: “Both Khan and Sanobar were living extravagant lifestyles far beyond their means making purchases of holidays and home improvements and withdrawing large sums of cash.”

Sanobar, he said, made purchases of around £105,000 and some of the cash was transferred to others.

“Those extravagant lifestyles were only made possible by money stolen from HSBC,” Mr Aspinall said.

Recorder Miles Watkins told Khan: “You abused your position of trust as an employee of the bank and you carried out your activities over a sustained period of time.”

Mohammed Riaz, for Khan, said: “He foolishly became involved in the fraud to assist his parents over their financial difficulties but, of course, there came a stage when it went beyond that and greed got the better of him.”

Khan said he had been too embarrassed to tell his wife and had brought shame upon his family.

Balbir Singh, for Sanobar, said initially he did not know the money had been obtained by fraud and it was only later that he became suspicious.